Almost a Total KO

Restaurant openings and closings happen every day in this city. Some new ones open with much hype and publicity surrounding them, including the latest UWS hot spot, Prime KO. Weeks before the official launch, there were emails/mailers and Facebook fan pages. Now that it has opened, there have been Page Six celebrity sightings and blog postings. So has Prime KO lived up to the hype? Yes and no.

The scene of this Japanese Kosher steakhouse is fairly typical…modern and trendy.

But, there were a few smaller touches that caught my eye, including a Samurai sword as door handle and leather walls and banquettes lining the lower level. 

As I glanced over the menu, I was surprised to see Latin-inspired items, expecting more of a straightforward Japanese menu. In order to get a real sense of the dishes, I decided to share a bunch of small plates instead of just one entree.

A complimentary tasting of guacamole was brought out to the table with a very creative presentation.

The avocado was very fresh, but the guacamole was missing some much-needed spice or kick.

We started with tuna, yellowtail, salmon, and spicy tuna ceviche tacos, which were served in a hard taco shell with guacamole and salsa. 

The fish was incredibly fresh, and the flavoring of the salsa really complimented each variety very well.

Next up was the Prime KO Special Sushi Roll, which was fantastic. This roll included miso black cod and cucumber, topped with tuna and avocado.

Dipping the rolls in soy sauce wasn’t necessary since the rolls were sitting in a delicious sweet sauce on the bottom of the plate.

We also had steamed chicken shumai, which are similar to dumplings, and stuffed with flavorful chicken and vegetables.

This was my least favorite dish. While it tasted good, it wasn’t special enough to differentiate it from the shumai that are available from any sushi take-out.

To round out the appetizers, we ordered grilled chicken yakitori skewers that were covered in a sweet teriyaki sauce.

There was a lot of sauce leftover, and we were looking for other things to dip into it…it was that good!

The service was very efficient, if not too rushed. The appetizers arrived no more than 5 minutes after our order was placed, and the entire meal took under an hour from start to finish. With many large tables, Prime KO is a great location for a big group dinner, but also has a trendy enough atmosphere to be a great date place. It was hard to come by a reservation at 7pm on a Monday, and as long as the hype remains, I don’t see the crowds letting up any time soon!

Prime KO
217 West 85th Street
b/t Amsterdam Avenue & Broadway
website (Coming soon)
Menu Pages listing

Give This Cascabel A Rattle!

A lot of restaurants receive a lot of hype and buzz when they first open. Some for good reason, and some for no reason. I wasn't sure which of those two categories Cascabel Taqueria would fit in, especially since it was a "themed" restaurant. But after reading some reviews and getting a few recommendations from friends and co-workers, I decided it was finally time to see for myself.

I met my friend LF, who works up there, for a very belated birthday dinner. Once we walked in, we realized that while there was certainly a major theme going on, it was done in a fun, kitschy way...not a cheesy way.  There was wrestling everything: murals on the walls, posters, wrestling masks.  I felt like I walked into the movie "Nacho Libre!"

I had scoped out the menu before getting there, and was pretty sure what I wanted to order. She had done that as well, and funny enough, we wanted to order the same thing.

We started out with an order of Guacamole Tradicional Con Tostada. Rather than being served with the standard tortilla chips, entire tortillas (aka tostadas) were used. 

It was a little messy to break them into bite size, but they were so fresh and salty.  The guacamole was made with avocados, tomato, chili de arbol, lime, cilantro, and garlic.  The spice factor was customizable, which was nice. We went with medium.

For our main dishes, we both ordered Tacos Vegetal.  These two tacos (with double shells) featured oyster mushrooms, fingerling potatoes, poblano, queso fresco, and  house made cream.  When they were brought out to our table, we both looked at each other thinking the food looked like a hot mess.  But buried underneath the layer of lettuce and radishes was a plate full of deliciousness. 

We decided attacking the tacos with fork and knife would be the best way to go about it.  The mushrooms and potatoes both had a great flavor to them, and were well-complimented by the queso fresco.

And for a special treat since this dinner was technically for my birthday, we ordered a few churros.  About the size of munchkin donuts, these churros were light and airy, and coated in a really good cinnamon/sugar mixture.

While there wasn't waiter service, the service there was from the cashier and the bus boys was a little shaky.  But for a casual taqueria, the expectations weren't too high. 

All in all, Cascabel is definitely a nice addition to the pricier, nicer Mexican options on the Upper East Side with a very bright, lively atmosphere.  Cascabel is named for a spicy pepper whose seeds rattle inside.  And this Cascabel definitely rattled up the Mexican restaurant scene in this neighborhood!

Cascabel Taqueria
1542 2nd Avenue
b/t 80th & 81st Streets
website
Menu Pages listing

I Sea Great Thai

Sea Thai's original location is in Williamsburg, and despite being across a bridge or under a river, it became a destination for really great Thai food even for Manhattanites. So, when the restaurant opened a location in the East Village (now closed), and then another in the Meat Packing District, a lot of loyal Sea Thai followers were very excited. For RL's birthday last year, she had a big group dinner at Sea Thai in the Meat Packing. I hadn't been to any of the locations before, so I was excited to try it.

I had actually been to the restaurant in this space a few years ago called Highline, which was also Thai/Asian fusion. The menu had changed when it re-opened as Sea Thai, but the interior remained pretty much the same: stark white and very modern with a lounge/club feel.

So many of the appetizers looked really good that a few of us couldn't narrow down what we wanted to order. MB and I decided to order a few different items and split them. Music to my ears!

We started with the emerald vegetable dumplings with a black plum sauce, triangle curry puffs stuffed with curried chicken and potato,and lettuce wraps with chicken, peanut sauce, and crispy rice noodles. All three were delicious, and a nice combination of flavors and textures. For our entree, we split chicken pad see ew, my all-time fav. And lucky for us, it was a very good version! The broad noodles were coated with a sweet black soy sauce, and mixed with chicken, broccoli, and egg.

Sea is the perfect spot for a birthday dinner, with an extensive menu and cocktail/wine list, a very cool atmosphere, and a great DJ. It has the feel of a Meat Packing restaurant without the pretentious attitude like many of the Asian fusion restaurants in the area. I think it may be time for a trip over to Williamsburg to see where Sea got its start, and see how the newbie stacks up to the original!

Sea Thai
835 Washington Street
@ Little West 12th Street
website
Menu Pages listing

The [Brunch] That Jane Likes

Brunch on the weekends is something of a cultural icon in NYC. You can find different people who are all equally enjoying their brunch, but interested in such different brunch experiences: those looking to cure their hangovers with Bloody Marys and greasy diner food, those who are a few steps prior to a hangover drinking unlimited mimosas and screwdrivers, and those seeking a bottomless cup of coffee to sip while flipping through The New York Times (don't tell my boss @ WSJ!), just to name a few. For me, the best kind of brunch is one with great food served in a restaurant with wide-open windows/doors on a gorgeous Spring day.

JB was in town for a long weekend with her friend PB, and they invited me to join them for brunch at Jane Restaurant on that Sunday along with PB's sons and friend. I was excited to see them and to go back to Jane since it had been at least 4 years since my last visit.

The two other times I had been there, I ordered the same thing...the Benedict Johnny. So, for this visit I decided I should change it up and try something new. I went with the Farm House Scramble, which included smoked ham (which I did without), gruyere cheese, and caramelized onions. I didn't quite think it through that without the meat in there, it was a little bit boring. The eggs were cooked well though, and the combination of the cheese with the sweet onions was delicious.
I hate to say it, though, but the best part of the meal for me was the french fries. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing! They were crispy, salty, and sprinkled with fresh rosemary giving them a great flavor. I should have stuck with the Benedict Johnny!

PB's sons ordered the vanilla bean french toast made with brioche bread dipped in crème brûlèe batter, topped with Vermont maple syrup. This stuff looked ridiculous! But, I noticed while they were eating it that the batter hadn't soaked all the way through. So, the center of the slices was just dry bread...a big french toast faux pas!
Even with the restaurant being packed at prime time on a Sunday morning, the server was great. She happily answered all of our questions about the menu, and patiently took our orders with lots of substitutions.

Everyone really enjoyed the brunch all around. Good food, great company, and gorgeous weather all made for the kind of brunch that I really like.

Jane
100 West Houston Street
b/t Thompson Street & LaGuardia Place
website
Menu Pages listing

An "Uva" For Any Occasion

One of my favorite things about writing Miss Menu is finding a restaurant that’s a keeper any way you look at it. Great food, great ambiance, great service, and great prices all make for an all-around great experience. Uva Wine Bar on the Upper East Side is definitely a keeper. I’ve heard it from dozens of friends over the years who rely on it as a go-to date spot for drinks, some who rave about the classic Italian food, and others who love it for a low-key brunch. I had been there a few years ago for drinks, and loved the atmosphere, but only recently returned to try the food.

On a cold, rainy Sunday night, I headed uptown to Uva to meet up with GF for dinner. I could not believe how packed it was. The main part of the restaurant is rustic and cozy with candlelight, chandeliers, exposed brick walls, and rugged wood tables and floors. Luckily we were able to be seated right away out on the back covered garden area.

Both of us had heard great things about the menu, so we decided it’d be fun to share a bunch of different things. We started with a Bruschetta topped with wild mushrooms, arugula, and parmigiano cheese. These toppings were a great combo of savory and earthy flavors. We also ordered a Chisolini, which is an “Emilian-style” focaccia that was topped with tomato sauce, artichokes, and smoked mozzarella.

For the main course we ordered the Gnocchi di Ricotta, which were homemade ricotta gnocchi in a creamy black truffle and chive sauce. Um…YUM. I’ve expressed my love for all things truffle on here in the past, so it goes without saying that I was a huge fan of this dish that combined that magical ingredient with deliciously delicate gnocchi. Out of this world.
We also had the Cavatelli al Pesto, which were homemade pasta shells in a creamy pesto sauce with shaved ricotta. The pesto was very pungent, but in a good way. Comparing the two dishes, though, I definitely liked the truffle gnocchi a lot more.

To round out a great meal, we ordered the tiramisu, which was pretty straightforward. It was less overwhelmingly coffee-flavored than some tiramisus that I’ve had, so that was good.

The waitress we had was fantastic. She explained each dish in great detail, weighed in on our choices, and offered great wine suggestions (and let us try a few varieties before we committed) to go with our each course of our meal. The garden was great, and would be really gorgeous during the day time and in nice weather. But, I also wanted to experience sitting in the main part of the restaurant, and I did just that on a return visit with MP for brunch.

On a Sunday afternoon, the restaurant was pretty deserted. I couldn’t believe how much quieter Uva was from my last visit there. But, it was also nice to go somewhere for brunch that wasn’t crowded and loud with a really long wait.

When we looked over the menu, we couldn’t believe how reasonable the prices were for all the brunch items. We both ordered the Ortolana omelette, which was only $7.50. It was made with eggplant, zucchini, peppers, broccoli, and fresh tomato. Since I have an aversion to tomatoes, I asked if I could add cheese instead, and asiago cheese was included. The omelettes were made with organic eggs and were served with roasted rosemary potatoes. The eggs were a little overcooked (brown spots on any eggs is a big no-no in the culinary world!), but all of the veggies were delicious. Freshly-baked focaccia was served in the bread basket, and was a nice addition.

After having been to Uva for three different occasions now, I am impressed with how versatile this little restaurant/wine bar is. Uva means “grape” in Italian, and there may be as many purposes for this restaurant as there are varieties of grapes in Italy! I have recommended it a few times to people looking for a good place for dinner with their parents, for a glass of wine on a date, and now for brunch too.

Uva
1486 2nd Avenue
b/t 77th & 78th Streets
website
Menu Pages listing